"A Life Well-Lived"

...That’s what her pastor said at the memorial service for Janelle Hayes. She was a wife, mom, and a pre-school teacher. She was a woman who shared herself and the crafts that she loved, and became, unexpectedly, a beacon of hope to people in many parts of the world. And why? God only knows. She just had an idea one day about three years ago that she wanted to share the stamped and assembled greeting cards she was making. She started a blog, where she posted entries a few times each week.

When the cancer struck her last summer in the form of a vicious brain tumor, she just kept on writing: the usual crafty stuff, some things about the family and her life, some pictures…and now a new type of entry, some scripture to share from her daily devotions and her cancer journey. Friends forwarded her blog to friends, and her internet community grew. She used the gifts God gave her. She shared of herself. And God used her faithful witness to touch many people who had no interest in Christian faith, but were introduced to that faith through their interest in her.

Without anticipating what she was doing, Janelle became an unexpected global witness to faith in Jesus Christ. She knew what it meant to trust God and to pray for what she wanted. She told everyone how she wanted to be healed and live long enough to enjoy grandchildren. She asked God outright to do a miracle and she let everyone know that she believed God could do so. And yet, she also spoke of placing her hopes and desire for healing in God’s own hands for whatever type of healing that might entail. God did heal her, but not in the way we all wanted…she was healed in a moment as she stepped into eternity on May 10.

Faithful – that is what God calls us to be. Not spectacular. Not like someone else. Just faithful: developing the gifts we have been given, sharing our talents, our interests, ourselves. It’s a challenge for all of us – living each day faithfully, unaware of what the future holds.

 I will close with the excerpt from Janelle’s blog written during the week in August when she let her readers know that her brain tumor was inoperable:

“And now I feel like a little spiritual encouragement may be in order for the end of this post... directly from the Lord during one of our times together this morning: "The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace." Psalm 29:11 (NLT)

From the Lord's lips to your ears. Hugs! (And hope to see you again tomorrow.)”

www.showandtellblog@typepad.com, August 7, 2011 [accessed 052212].

I was privileged to call Janelle my sister, by her marriage to my brother Ken. I miss her.  I treasure the woman she was and hope to follow in her footsteps of faithfulness.